There was a spectacular and heart-warming sight of 31 Swifts over the north end of Nuxley Road in Bexley village yesterday evening around half past eight, oftentimes swooping low over the buildings.
Swifts over Belvedere village. (Photo: Chris Rose)
One can imagine that in the past there might have been a lot more places to enjoy such a display in Bexley than there are now, but hard data from the past doesn’t exist. One of the many things we’re trying to do is log Swift and House Martin nesting sites in the Borough to get a clear picture of the situation today, so we were grateful to Mike Robinson for alerting us to this particular aggregation of Swifts.
Swifts are often seen over Norman Road and the marshes, so it has seemed likely that they might nest in that area too. Ken Hobday has reported birds approaching house eaves in North Road, Belvedere, so that might be where.
Is there a nesting site near Danson Park? Groups of these birds have also been seen over Gravel Hill. Or are these wanderers from further afield?
Chris Rose
I know of two nests in Wellinb